Soundcheck
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An activity that takes place before a concert, etc., when the performer and sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to verify the volume and tonal frequencies. countable, uncountable
"Soundcheck for the band, today, takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It is late afternoon and while the arena's 17,000 outdoor seats are still empty the four members of Mumford & Sons – prospering British folk band, in the middle of a long tour of Australia, the US and the UK, their newly released album Babel a smash on all fronts – wander to centre stage."
- 1 To carry out a soundcheck. intransitive
"At a show by American singer Jeffrey Lewis in Leeds last month, he was still soundchecking at 11pm, and when Guns N' Roses made a comeback of sorts in 2006, their Hammersmith Apollo gig began at 11pm, and ended two hours later […]"
- 2 To perform (a song etc.) as part of a soundcheck. transitive
"Guns N’ Roses were heard soundchecking a previously unreleased song ahead of their recent show in Tel Aviv."
Example
More examples"Soundcheck for the band, today, takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It is late afternoon and while the arena's 17,000 outdoor seats are still empty the four members of Mumford & Sons – prospering British folk band, in the middle of a long tour of Australia, the US and the UK, their newly released album Babel a smash on all fronts – wander to centre stage."
Etymology
From sound + check.
Related phrases
More for "soundcheck"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.